One More Perspective

No, not the Department of Motor Vehicles, though they are hard-working individuals with a minute-by-minute test in patience.  I am referring to the National Capital Beltway area, also referred to as Washington DC Metro.  The District of Columbia and adjacent portions of Maryland and Virginia form the DMV the locals know and love.  It doesn’t take long to count as a local, either.  The second you see the beauty in this highly cooperative density, you count as a local.  I love it here (though just visiting for the long weekend). 

Having lived inside the Capital Beltway for 13 years, then moving to Connecticut six months ago, gave me a brand new perspective and even more appreciation for how marvelous the DMV is.  I am not talking about the monuments, the museums and other national treasures; though certainly visit-worthy, I am talking about the people. 

When I moved to the DMV in 2012, I was elated to be back in a large metropolis.  Escaping Oklahoma, especially while my children were still old enough to be shapen by the cultural environment of Washington,  DC, gave me immense hope for their future ability to navigate the world.  Having paid a large portion of my salary for their private school in Oklahoma to ensure they stayed on par with the better educational standards in the US, I was happy to trade tuition for a jumbo mortgage payment instead.  Housing costs in the DMV are certainly brutal.  

What most people who move into the DMV learn (hopefully) sooner than later is what a fantastic smorgasbord of cultures, and educational and religious backgrounds its residents possess.  Rather than the largely binary communities present in much of the United States, the DMV uses of all of the Colors of the World crayons.

In addition, these wonderful representations of humans appear in all kinds of roles and situations from the highest echelons of federal government, corporations and elite academics to tradespeople and day laborers.  While in certain states and cities there are notable patterns to where and how the available variety of skin colors show up, in the DMV, it’s a wonderful combination, shattering assumptions of those “not from around here.”  The person someone believes is acceptable to dismiss in one setting may, down the line, turn out to be their child’s surgeon.  Members of Congress during off hours may look just like the grocery store florist.  Assumptions based on appearances are ill-advised in the DMV and consequently, behaviors tend to follow.  Locals don’t approach with stereotypical notions.  It’s not perfect science.  It is still humans inter-reacting, but nonetheless it’s a compelling collection of educated and/or entrepreneurial people in a high concentration, rendering each interaction one to be undertaken with full presence and humanity. 

Leaving a place that shaped my family so deeply wasn’t easy, and my new view from Connecticut only underscores how rare that DMV environment truly is and how much I love it.  The DMV is a demanding, fast-paced, and undeniably expensive corner of the world, but its true wealth lies in its human tapestry.  It is a place that challenges you to drop your preconceptions at the door and simply show up, fully present, to learn from the remarkable people around you.  I may have moved on for the moment, but a piece of my heart remains rooted in that beautiful, collaborative density.